Sunny skies and light breezes encouraged 98 of the 100 boats entered in the 55th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament to head offshore Monday morning and try to win a share of the $1,154,625 purse.

The Big Rock registration reached 100 boats late Sunday, a total that looked in jeopardy earlier that day. That was because Tropical Storm Andrea prevented several boats from reaching the area because of rough seas during the days leading up to the event. Read more »

The possibility of rough conditions failed to deter the lady anglers aboard Fight-N-Lady as the team scored an early blue marlin release and held on to win the billfish division of the 16th annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler (KWLA) tournament.

Jessica Proctor and Fight-N-Lady captain Pete Zook, Morehead City, teamed to catch and release a blue marlin after an 11-minute fight. Procter’s catch proved to be worth $5,100 in the billfish division of the event. Read more »

The decision was made to give competitors the option to fish either Saturday or Sunday as the remnants of the storm blew through North Carolina waters. That action encouraged 47 teams to sign up and wait to fish Sunday. None of the competing teams elected to fish Saturday. Gulf Stream waters are expected to settle down by Sunday morning. Read more »

Due to “Andrea”, the Big Rock Board has decided to make The 16th Annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament “ladies choice”. Fishing teams may chose to fish either Saturday or Sunday, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The lady angler reception and the best dressed contest will still take place on Friday, June 7th, 6:00-9:00pm at the Civic Center. At least one person from each boat should be represented and is responsible for knowing the rules including any changes as listed below or that maybe announced during the Capt’s Meeting on Friday evening.

The Big Rock board of directors are proud to announce local artist Jack Saylor as the featured artist for the upcoming 55th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. The amazing piece of original art will be auctioned at the Saturday Awards Banquet to raise money for charity and worthy organizations. Read more »